With Fernando Torres serving the second of his three-game ban after being sent off against Swansea, Didier Drogba started up-front for the Blues with Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata on either side of him.

For the visitors, unchanged from their loss to Liverpool, Louis Saha and Jack Rodwell both made their centenary appearances for the Toffees, while Phil Jagielka at centre-half made his 150th.

The first real chance fell to Saha after 10 minutes. Fed through by a stylish pass from Leon Osman down the left, the French striker ducked inside and shot with his less-favoured right foot, but it still took Petr Cech two attempts to gather.

Marouane Fellaini was lucky to escape with only a booking soon after when he made a rash challenge on Ramires, leaving his foot in dangerously.

As the first half reached its midway point, the Toffees were holding the home side well. Andre Villas-Boas’ men were enjoying the majority of possession but could not summon a really threatening chance.

When they did put a strong move together, stringing together several passes in a progressive move, Ramires blew possession by launching a wayward shot high above the bar, despite having options to pass.

Finally, on the half-hour mark, the Blues got the reward for their overwhelming possession, when Mata lifted the ball over Tony Hibbert at right-back, into the path of the rampaging Ashley Cole, who delivered towards the far post, where the in-form Sturridge ran in to meet it with a simple header.

The opener brought about a slight revival from the visitors who enjoyed slightly more of the ball, but neither side was able to trouble a goalkeeper until right at the end of the period.

Seamus Coleman brought down Cole on the left, and Frank Lampard swung in the resultant free-kick deep into the penalty area. Terry took advantage of Tim Howard’s indecision to nod home, sealing a comfortable home lead at the break.

Good day at the office | Cole & Sturridge combined for the opening goal

Just seconds after the resumption, Everton surged forward and Osman came agonisingly close with a shot that appeared to just glance off the outside edge of the post as it flew past Cech.

The midfielder tried again 10 minutes later, but this time his longer-range shot was too high to trouble the goalkeeper.

But despite the visitors having the better of the first 15 minutes of the half, Chelsea appeared to kill off the match when the impressive Mata burst down the left, having been supplied by a deep-lying Drogba, and sliced through a pinpoint pass into the path of the onrushing Ramires, who made no mistake.

However, only moments after his strike, the Brazilian was forced to limp off with an apparent knee injury.

The third goal appeared to have taken the fight out of David Moyes’ men, with proceedings appearing to completely peter out, until young Apostolos Vellios was brought on for Louis Saha with 10 minutes to go.

Immediately, Royston Drenthe found the ball on the left flank and whipped it in, where the 19-year-old Vellios slid in and finished accurately with his first touch of the game, having been on the pitch for just 18 seconds.

It proved only a consolation, though, as the home side held on for a fourth consecutive home win in the league. Lampard might have grabbed a fourth but his rifled injury-time shot from the edge of the area flew straight at Howard.

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